Germany vs. America: Food

Tiny refrigerators.  It’s one of the most disappointing, frustrating phenomena I’ve encountered overseas.  The refrigerator should be bigger than a medium-sized American oven. It should be significantly larger than my trashcan.  Is it? No. Is there even a freezer? No. As unfortunate as that is, it reflects rather well the general sentiment regarding food in Germany: fresh.  You don’t need a huge fridge if you’re only eating fresh food, and only buying enough from the local farmer’s market to eat over the next couple days. In fact, if that’s the case, the freezers can be left to the Americans.

Germany does food a little differently than the United States.  As I’m sure many of those who live in the U.S. have noticed, fast food restaurants are supremely prevalent.  Sit-down restaurants exist, obviously, but most of them are parts of chains. The few mom-and-pop style restaurants that have survived in the United States often struggle, and certainly aren’t the norm.  I don’t want to present too skewed of a picture, so I will say that almost every town does have at least one mom-and-pop, sit-down sort of restaurant. There are a ton of them around the U.S., but there just isn’t as many as there were before the advent of chain restaurants and fast food.  Chain restaurants are difficult to find in Germany; I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Instead, mom-and-pop style places are the norm. There’s still fast food, of a sort, but it’s more along the lines of the occasional donner-kabob rather than chicken nuggets or burgers.

Germany also has food regulations that are far stricter than those in the U.S. McDonalds food, if you can find it, even if it’s the same menu is healthier here than back in the states.  Throughout Europe, there’s an emphasis on the freshness and quality of the food, rather than the speed with which you can get it and go. Speaking of which, to go boxes? By and large, Germans don’t use them.  Portion sizes are a bit smaller, generally, so you can finish eating in the restaurant. However, perhaps the greatest difference lies in the culture surrounding eating. Waiters and waitresses are paid by the hour, rather than by the table, so restaurant goers can sit and talk over their food for as long as they like.  The café culture spoken of with reference to Europe is certainly real here in Germany. Farmer’s markets are a usual occurrence, and every town has their own market full of fresh foods. I’ve checked, and it’s difficult to find towns with farmer’s markets in the U.S. Normally only the artsy ones have a usual, once a week style market.

Personally, I like the German style of eating better.  I like sitting for ages and talking with friends or family over my food.  I enjoy the emphasis on freshness and quality rather than speed. Then again, that’s the sort of culture I’ve spent many formative years living in, so it’s hard for me to like anything else.  Indeed, I can see the appeal of the American style – always moving onto the next big thing, rushing to invent and sell and be the best – it’s ambitious, loud and entirely admirable. I’m glad to have roots in a culture like that, but to be honest? The slower culture of Germany is where my heart lies.